Stryker leaves ex-reps out of it in poaching suit against Zimmer Biomet

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) this week argued that the lawsuit it leveled against Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) this spring, accusing its orthopedics rival of poaching sales reps, doesn’t need to include the former reps.

Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker sued Zimmer Biomet in March in the U.S. District Court for Southern Texas, alleging “concerted and deliberate unfair competition, improper use of Stryker’s confidential and trade secret information, and improper solicitations of Stryker’s customers and employees” in the Houston area.

Zimmer Biomet allegedly enticed a pair of Stryker reps, Andrew Ruggles and Carson Combs, to set up a rival foot & ankle business targeting Stryker customers in breach of their non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, according to the lawsuit. The ex-reps “are now moving the business of those Stryker customers to defendants and utilizing Stryker confidential and trade secret information,” Stryker alleged.

Ruggles quit Stryker in November 2016 and allegedly recruited Combs to follow suit just 4 days later, according to the suit, which asked Judge Gray Miller for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction barring Zimmer Biomet, Ruggles and Combs from further alleged violations, according to court documents.

Zimmer Biomet in May moved to dismiss the case, arguing that although Stryker’s claims are pegged to Ruggles and Combs, it inexplicably failed to name them as defendants.

A growth-driven and strategic executive, Peter Coffaro commands more than 20 years of progressive management success within the medical device industry. As a District Sales Manager for Stryker Orthopaedics, Peter was responsible for managing and directing a regional sales force to achieve sales and profit goals within the Rocky Mountain region. Previously, he was the Director of Sales & Marketing for Amp Orthopedics. In this role, Peter was responsible for planning, developing, and leading all sales and marketing initiatives. Peter is a former orthopedic distributor in the Pacific Northwest. He has also worked with DePuy Orthopaedics as well as Zimmer, and held positions in sales, sales training, and sales management. Peter has an extensive background in organizational development, business development, sales management, negotiating and P&L management. Peter holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Northern Illinois University.

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(MassDevice) – A federal appeals court yesterday split up a sales rep poaching dispute between Stryker and DePuy Orthopaedics, sending some claims to a California district court and others to the federal court in New Jersey. […]

MassDevice – Stryker this week argued that the lawsuit it leveled against Zimmer Biomet this spring, accusing its orthopedics rival of poaching sales reps, doesn’t need to include the former reps. […]

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OrthoFeed is a blog about orthopedics and emerging medical technologies. The blog posts cover a wide range of digital health topics including: 3-D Printing, Robotics, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence. The website is updated daily to help our viewers stay on top of industry trends. The OrthoFeed motto is “We curate, you discover!”